In case you forgot, that sale at Desiring God is today and tomorrow. A lot of people had the same idea as me, and you can see a list of others who recommend various Piper favorites at the DG blog. The author of most of these books himself weighs in on why it’s a bad idea to sell books for cheap.
BTW, if you’re wondering on the price of shipping, I bought 20 books (combined with a friend plus future gifts and such) and it was $10 for all with UPS Ground. It’s probably more than 50 cents if you order just one book, but in any case, this is not one of those operations that’s gouging you on the shipping.
I linked through the web site to a few sermons and resources, having never read much of Piper before. I am surprised a DTS bound student has so much admiration for a CALVINIST! Agh!
I’ve always thought that a Calvinist Baptist was an oxymoron, but I find there are more of them that I might have first believed.
Al – to me it is perfectly natural. I really think nothing of it. I’m not sure what a “Calvinist Baptist” is, and may not even be sure what a “Calvinist” means, because it can be understood in various ways. I do believe that my thinking is driven by the natural interpretation of Scripture, which in my view clearly teaches God’s election of man as well as the future salvation of Israel. I know so many who believe similarly that I am surprised that you are surprised.
A few days ago I read on another blog something that C. H. Spurgeon wrote. It strikes me as eminently reasonable:
“There is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation.”
You’re preaching to the choir here, but I still find full blown, Five Point Calvinism a little strange from a stream that is more directly connected to Armeninism.
However, I don’t believe you would find “salvation of Israel” in most Calvinist systems. Reformed theology tends to stress the unity of God’s covenant and teachs that God’s covenant is connected with God’s people – first the Jews, then the church as their successor.
I will suggest that I believe that RC Sproul has brought Reformed Theology back into the evangelical mainstream thought.
Al – it’s a very interesting question of what is behind the resurgence of Reformed Theology, particularly among younger evangelicals. Mark Dever just began a 10-part series to answer that question. It looks like it will be good.
http://blog.9marks.org/2007/06/whered-all-thes.html
Hi – I am not terribly blog-coordinated so don’t know how to email you directly. I’m actually interested in contacting Kelli as we were friends wayyyyyyy back when in Green Bay. I ran across an old letter with your names on it and decided to Google you. Surprising to see you are still in Israel all these years later. You have my email if she’s interested in contacting me to catch up.
:-) Thanks!
not to intrude on the conversation, but it was my understanding that historically baptists were calvinist. yes, there was a reign of arminianism more recently within, at least, the southern baptist, but the majority of the roots do not trace back there. my 2 pence worth.
Well, “Baptist” covers a lot of ground. I don’t think the Baptists have the kind of single leader or movement to look back on that Lutherans or Calvinists do.
I think some will trace part of the Anabaptist movement back to Zwingli in Zurich, in part because of his views on baptism. I think it’s more accurate to say that some of the Anabaptist movement took Zwingli’s ideas and moved past the point they could be called Reformed – to the point that they were persecuted by Zwingli and the successors.
Still, you are right…there is a stream of Calvinist Baptists and I don’t really know much of their history. The idea of believer baptism (at least as it is normally practiced) is completely foreign to Calvinism.